More than a year into Canada-U.S. trade tensions, border crossings from New Brunswick into Maine continue to decline.
President Donald Trump’s “51st state” rhetoric strained relations between the two countries, both in terms of tourism and trade.
In Woodstock, N.B., which is just minutes away from the Maine border, residents say it’s no surprise Canadians are still reluctant to make the crossing.
“I haven’t been since COVID … because Mr. Trump is the president over there, and I have no use for him,” said resident Diane Bernard.
Return trips by Canadian residents from the U.S. fell 22 per cent in January compared with a year earlier, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada.
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That was the 13th straight monthly decline.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reporting 676,000 crossing at Maine land borders between October 2025 and March of this year. That’s roughly 16 per cent lower than the same period of time the year before.
Last year, Maine Gov. Janet Mills travelled to the Maritimes and met with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt in a bid to ease relations between the two historically-friendly trade partners.
Woodstock, N.B., resident Stephen Whalen used to travel to Maine every week but now says he doesn’t go at all. He said he may reconsider when there’s a change in the presidency.
“We’re a very independent country, and we love our country and when someone tries to slight us, we think everyone should be treated equal,” said Whalen.
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